outrageous, a. (adv.)
(aʊtˈreɪdʒəs)
Forms: 4– outrageous; also 4 ut-, 4–5 oute-, 4–6 owt-, 5–6 oult-; 4 Sc. -eouss, 5 -uous, 5–6 -yous, -ios, 5–8 -ious, 6 -eus, -iowse, etc.
[a. OF. outrageus, AF. oult-, F. -eux, f. outrage outrage n.1: see -ous.]
1. Exceeding proper limits; excessive, immoderate, extravagant, superfluous; enormous, extraordinary, unusual. In later use coloured by sense 2.
| c 1325 Metr. Hom. 89 His frendes..gert him wel eet and drinc, And lef his utrageous swinc. 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 9440 Outrageus hete and outrageouse calde. c 1386 Chaucer Pard. T. 322 Vengeance shal nat parten from his hous That of his othes is to outrageous. 14.. in Alexander, etc. (E.E.T.S.) 283 For þe outragez hight of housez. c 1416 Hoccleve Bal. Hen. V 14 The somme..Is nat excessif ne outrageous. 1447 Rolls of Parlt. V. 137/2 Outeragious assemble of pepill. 1484 Caxton Chivalry 77 By ouer oultragyous drynkynge and etynge. 1502 Atkinson tr. De Imitatione i. xxi. 170 Remembre the outragious peynes of hell & pourgatory. c 1550 R. Bieston Bayte Fortune B ij b, By arrogance oultrageous thy tounge on vanting swerueth. 1555 Eden Decades 67 Beinge pricked forwarde with owtragious hunger. 1585 T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. ii. xi. 46 b, We found the streame..so violent and outragious. 1696 Whiston Th. Earth iv. (1722) 378 [It] would..afterward descend in violent and outragious Rains. 1818 Miss Mitford in L'Estrange Life (1870) II. ii. 46 The Romans [always seemed to me] the most outrageous, strutting, boasting barbarians on the face of the earth. 1868 Browning Ring & Bk. xii. 55 Yesterday he had to keep indoors Because of the outrageous rain that fell. |
2. Excessive or unrestrained in action; violent, furious; † excessively bold or fierce (obs.).
| 1375 Barbour Bruce ix. 102 For hys outrageouss manheid, Confortit his men on sic maneir. c 1386 Chaucer Pars. T. ¶485 In his outrageous anger and Ire. c 1420 Anturs of Arth. 421 Thou hase wonnen thaym one werre, with owttrageouse wille. 1484 Caxton Fables of æsop i. xvi, There was a lyon whiche in his yougthe was fyers and moche outragyous. 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. cxxxvii. 165 He came with a thre thousande of the moost outragyoust people in all that countrey. 1609 Rowlands Whole Crew of Kind Gossips 30 Sometimes her out-ragious madding fits, Makes me as mad as she, beside my wits. 1658 J. Jones tr. Ovid's Ibis 117 So is revenge furiously out-ragious and outragiously furious. 1751 Earl of Orrery Remarks Swift (1752) 169 From an outrageous lunatic, he sunk afterwards into a quiet, speechless idiot. 1806 H. Siddons Maid, Wife, & Widow I. 198 The old man was outrageous: Frederick acted with more policy. |
3. Excessive in injuriousness, cruelty, or offensiveness; of the nature of violent or gross injury, wrong, or offence, or of a gross violation of law, humanity, or morality; grossly offensive or abusive.
| 1456 Sir G. Haye Law Arms (S.T.S.) 174 [If he] do him sum outrageus injure. Ibid. 287 And he persevere in his outrageous langage. 1502 Ord. Crysten Men ii. v. (1506) 95 Whyche thynge is outragyous & presumpcyon detestable ayenst god. 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 274 b, Which outragious crueltie, I doubt not but God wyll ones avenge. 1583 Golding Calvin on Deut. ii. 65 If a man that hath no need doe rob or fleece his Neighbour of his goodes: therein appeareth so much the lewder and outragiouser naughtinesse. 1642 in Clarendon Hist. Reb. v. §66 To punish those horrible, outragious cruelties, which had been committed in the murthering, and spoiling so many of his Subjects. 1852 Mrs. Stowe Uncle Tom's C. xxxv. 313 The outrageous treatment of poor Tom had roused her still more. 1864 Tennyson Aylmer's F. 286 Pelted with outrageous epithets. 1888 A. K. Green Behind Closed Doors ii, Whether I am to be made the victim of an outrageous scandal that will affect my whole future career. |
† B. as adv. = next. Obs.
| 1375 Barbour Bruce ix. 483 He wes outrageouss hardy. 1526 Skelton Magnyf. 2570 To day hote, to morowe outragyous colde. |